


The Art of Loving

by makuramotou



Category: Notice Me Senpai! (Video Game)
Genre: Attempt at Drama, Friendship, Game App fic, M/M, Might be OOC, Notice Me Senpai BL, Pining, Romance, RushHour Cafe, Surprise Pairing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-16 05:21:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8088796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makuramotou/pseuds/makuramotou
Summary: Regret eats at him when Touya realizes that just a few weeks and ‘it’s the cultural festival—already!’And just a few months before March; Graduation.They’re all third years...and when they leave school, who knows when he’ll see Souma again.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you'll like this long oneshot of senpais and pining...
> 
> Blame the maid outfits prize xD 
> 
> Also, I'd like to think that my chara in the game is some cool, blonde guy and not a faceless pink-dressed girl...so I hope you'll picture him when he's named Ryouta. *coughs*
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _Dozo..._

 

It’s a sunny day in April with the Sakura petals blessing the students as they go into another school year.

“Excuse me, pardon me..ah! Sorry. Excuse me,”

Touya squirms his way through the sea of students to find his name on the bulletin board. 

“...3-B...” he finds his name under that section; right after finding his name, he eagerly searches for another one.

“Oh,” his excitement fades with the discovery, “...he’s...in a different section...”

 

 

It started way back when he was a first year. He visited the cafe beside their school for an art exhibit and became awestruck upon seeing a simple decorative cake. It’s circular in shape, with white fondant icing, embellished with roses of different colors which were also made of icing.

Touya has always been impressed even by the simplest things. He seems to have the ability -or purely in his nature- to see a beauty that cannot be seen by the naked eye.

It’s a simple-looking cake, but Touya acknowledged the effort in making the components of the dessert itself, and the dedication to details to make the icing look like roses.

Apparently, the patissiere who made the masterpiece was also a student like himself who is also a chef renowned for his talent; his name is Souma.  

They were in different sections and members of different clubs, but Touya has always wanted a chance to talk and be friends with Souma, thinking maybe since they’re both artisans they can understand each other. 

As if fate is against it, two years have passed and now they are third years, but Touya still has not formed a bond with Souma. It could be attributed to Touya’s timid nature, as artists like him usually are, that he didn’t have the courage to talk to someone as bright as Souma, who’s surrounded by friends all the time. 

 

Within those two years, however, Touya has become too conscious of the chef. Whenever he sees wonderfully arranged food, he thinks of Souma. Eventually, just the sight of food makes him think of Souma, and even when he’s just looking at the blank canvas he’s about to paint on, he still thinking of Souma.

 

Hard. Touya fell hard for Souma.

But the artist doesn’t even know his feelings.

 

Regret eats at him when Touya realizes that just a few weeks and ‘it’s the cultural festival—already!’

And just a few months before March; Graduation. 

They’re all third years...and when they leave school, who knows when he’ll see Souma again.

 

 

 

-`-`-`-`-`-`-

 

“Okay, guys,” the man-in-charge, Hideki-senpai, calls the 3-B class’ attention.

“Let me know what you wanna do for the festival. Any ideas?”

“Taiko-drumming contest!” Hajime suggests.

“How about a lovely cafe?” the idea came from Jean.

“I agree with a cafe.” Souh, who’s now planning out the cafe, seconds Jean’s idea.

“An indoor hunting game...” Sousuke pitches in. The others speak of their ideas all at once, joining the hype.

Touya listens to his classmates’ suggestions while he sharpens his drawing pencils. One of his pencils fall from his desk when he moved his elbow, but a hand with black bandage catches it before the newly sharpened tip hits the floor and returns it to him. 

“Thanks, Kei-kun.” He smiles to his classmate to show his gratitude. Though Kei is not vocal and his face is half-hidden, Touya can feel him say ‘you’re welcome’.

 

 

 

 

~0~0~0~0~0~

 

There comes a chance for Touya when Souma starts to work part time at the cafe beside their school. He seizes this opportunity to at least just say ‘hi’, and eventually strike a conversation with Souma.

He comes to the cafe one afternoon, running straight out from his art club activities, carrying a small canvas he’s working on and some of his paintbrushes haphazardly placed on his pockets.

 

“Hello, welcome to RushHour cafe!”

The owner himself happily greets Touya; though he expected Souma to be the one to greet him. He tries to find the chef, tiptoeing to see beyond the owner and the counter, but what he sees are faces of his fellow senior students from school. 

“Uhm, is there a place here where I can—oh,“

His paintbrushes fall from his pocket, but before Touya can hear them drop, they vanish with a ‘swish’. Both he and the owner are astonished by the instantaneous disappearance; he turns to look behind him only to find that the paintbrushes are already placed in his free hand—as if magic. His bag and canvas is missing from his hold; he becomes alarmed but when his eyes dart here and there, he finds it placed at a table on a well-lit corner of the cafe. 

“I...uh...what happened?” Touya asks the owner

“...That’s what I’d like to know! You’re amazing!” the owner thinks the student played some magic trick on him. 

 

 

Touya settles on the table where he found his bag and canvas. He waits for _someone_  to get his order (as the owner forgot to ask him after the weird incident). He watches his surroundings as he waits for that someone to come. He sees his classmate Jean flirting with two schoolgirls, Sousuke-kun with his twin brother and Souh-san marvelling at the teacups. Far from his table, though, he sees students from class 3-C—Souma’s classmates—and surely there he is, talking with them.

Touya anxiously waits for Souma to _at least_  spare him a glance and realize that he is a customer. He waits in silence; the red tint on his cheeks and the small gestures of nervousness makes Touya look like a lovesick highschool girl. 

A rustling sound calls back Touya’s senses to the moment at present. Surely, there are ornamental plants around, but the rustling came from a bigger foliage. His head turns to search for the source of the sound and finds an oddly placed bush right beside his seat. 

‘Has this been here all the while?’ Touya digs his memory as he stares at the bush, finding the small flowers _beautiful_.

When he turns back his vision to his table, his purple eyes widen in surprise.

A strawberry parfait has been placed; looking forward, he sees Souma walking some paces away from his table. 

 

 

 

-`-`-`-`-`-`-`

He considers his first visit to Souma’s workplace a failure, but he still has his hopes up because of that one moment when Souma brought him a parfait—free, because when he went to pay for the parfait, the cashier said that it has already been paid for.  

_’Maybe...Souma-kun recognizes me..?.’_

They didn’t get to talk, but Touya hoped there was a tiny connection.

 

The next visits also come in vain. There are times when a different waiter serves Touya, and other times Souma is in kitchen duty and Touya could only see peeks of him from the counter. Sometimes, he’s too engrossed in drawing and painting that he forgets the purpose of staying at the cafe. All those times they don’t even get to see eye-to-eye and so he can’t say even a small ‘hi’.

There are recurring oddities, however. Whenever Touya steps in the cafe, his bag and hand-carried stuffs always disappear in less than a blink of an eye, and finds them on a table with the best possible lighting in the place for him to work on a sketchbook or a canvas. Then there’s always the free desserts (at one point he feels wrong with eating and drinking for free, so he tries to pay for them but the cashier won’t take it), and there’s the out-of-place indoor bush that he always finds behind his chair.

It’s a mystery that Touya has never been able to solve.

 

 

-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-

 

 

 

A big shuffle takes place in relation to the seniors’ Cultural Festival activities. Three sections are divided for two activities: a stage play and a cosplay cafe. 

Another chance—Touya thinks; he’s in the same group as Souma for the stage play. 

Kurou-san, the director of the theatre club, leads the group and assembles everyone for an introduction—because they come from different sections, there are bound to be strangers. 

 

“Hello! I’m Souma from class 3-C. I’m more of a kitchen man, but I’ll do whatever I can for this stage play! Yoroshiku!”

Among other introductions, that moment replays again and again inside Touya’s head. 

 

 

Their group is divided in two clusters: the actors with lead roles for the play, and those who are minor characters will do the set design. At first, one might think there’s an imbalance of work, but the main actors have lengthy lines to act, and Kurou enslaves them to death until their acting meets his expectations.

 

“I’m glad I’m not one of the main actors...” Hinata-kun says to Touya while they work on the backgrounds. “Sousuke’s complaining to me every night and day about the rehearsals.”

Rehearsals...the thing that separates him still from Souma; apparently the ‘village baker’ has a vital role in the story. 

 

“Break time, guys!” the owner of RushHour cafe pops in the auditorium for a delivery.

“Ah, Ryouta-san! Thanks for your hard work!” 

“Soucchi!! Anything for my dear part-timer! Everyone, this is on Soucchi’s tab!”

“No, Ryouta-san, really?!”

“I kid, I kid...Well, grubs and drinks, guys!”

 

Souma helps Ryouta-san in distributing the cups of coffee, tea and chocolate, while Jean offers to help in distributing pastries. Meanwhile, Touya takes a seat far from the commotion, giving way so that the others may enjoy the feast. 

He’s always like that—thinking of others before himself.

In his solitude, he takes in the scene before him. Youths eating, laughing and working together...this is part of what makes the Cultural Fest memorable.

 

“Touya— ”

A mountain of white with strawberry syrup and slices comes into his view. He looks to his upper right,

“S-Souma...-kun?”

The chef smiles at him and gestures for Touya to take the float topped with white and pink.  

“...this is...?”

“I hope you’ll like it. Not the same as the parfait you order at RushHour, but it’s cool and refreshing!”

Touya realizes that Souma remembers him as a customer of the cafe; but the words he said strikes Touya that the parfaits and the pre-ordered treats were not from him. Nevertheless, Touya is grateful that Souma remembers him.

“Thank you, Souma-kun...”

 

 

 

“Hm?” Katsuo towers Kei from behind, “I didn’t think you were a sucker for strawberries, Kei.”

Kei’s head drops and his eyes dart left and right to the cups he’s holding. 

 

‘ _What am I supposed to do with_ this _now?_ ’

 

 

 

 

-`-`-,-`-`-,-`-,-`-`-{@

 

__

_He didn’t need to writhe his way through the sea of students huddling against the bulletin board. With his agile limbs, he climbed a nearby Sakura tree and with his eyes that are like a hawk’s keenly searched the names on the board._

_‘...3-B...’_

_He finds the name under that section; right after, he eagerly searches for his own name._

_‘Oh,’ his eyes widen and shine in excitement, ‘we’re in the same section.’_

__

\--`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`{@

 

 

“Sorry I’m late. How can I help?”

“Hello, Takahiro-san. We’re getting finished with the props here. Can you help with Akira-kun’s costume, though? I think some parts there need more stitching...” Touya greets the working student and turns his attention back to holding a board shaped and painted to be a large pumpkin; Hinata, crouching below him, holds the pumpkin tight against a wooden framework as Kei hammers a nail to put it together.

“Roger that, Boss Touya!”

“B-‘Boss’?” 

“Yeah! Or do you prefer ‘Captain’, or ‘Sir’?”

“But...why?” Touya blushes, not used to being called such

“Well, Kurou is the director of the play itself, but you do the directing with the set design.” Takahiro says while he carefully lifts the goat costume from a box.

“Yeah, Touya. We would’ve been running in circles if you didn’t guide us with what to do. It’s great to have you in this play!” Hinata agrees with Takahiro.

“I’d...rather not take any credit for that...Besides, it’s Kei-kun and Katsuo-kun who do the carpentry, and you guys have all worked well, too.”

Kei stops with hammering and stands to meet Touya’s eyes. 

“K-Kei-kun?”

Everyone is expecting for Kei to say something; even Touya’s eyes seem to be trying to find anything from the windows of the soul when he looks at Kei’s dark eyes.

Instead, he pats Touya’s hair.

“Well, I think he’s thankful, too, Boss Touya!”

Touya purses his lips and gets a shade redder. He’s really not used to being vocally appreciated.

 

 

 

He may not have felt it, but the people around Touya think that there’s something maternal in the way he does things. This may have been new even to those who are his classmates in 3-B. 

Little by little, the timid Touya gains friends—even Souma’s friends!

 

One time they invite Touya to hang out at RushHour. Forgetting about the weird occurrences whenever he enters the cafe, he happily joins them.

As they are about to enter the cafe, Souma stops and bends down.

“You guys go ahead, my shoelaces—“

Izumi, Wakatoshi, Ai and Yuu goes ahead while Touya stays to wait for Souma.

“Sorry for waiting,”

“N-n! Are you done?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Then it happens again. They both feel a breeze, and when Touya checks, his messenger bag and hand-carried canvas are not in his possession. 

As usual, he finds it at a spacious place where there’s great sunlight; he also sees the bush which, no matter where he settles in the cafe, seems to follow him.

“Touya?” Souma approaches him; his face a mix of curious and concerned, “Yuu and the others are over there.” 

“Ah, yes...I—...” 

Touya doesn’t know how to explain the odd occurrences that happen to him. Instead, he whisks it out of his head and decides that he should enjoy this time with his newfound friends.

Their table is a corner far across from the spacious solitary table where he found his things. In between their talks, Touya keeps on glancing at the empty ensemble.

 

_If I weren’t with Souma-kun and the others, it’d be me who’s sitting there...painting on my small canvas...alone._

Looking beside the lonely chair, Touya can’t help but feel sorry for the lonely bush.

 

 

 

On their next hang out at RushHour, Touya decides to stop the unusual happenings. He doesn’t want Souma and the others to think that there’s something weird around him that could cause him to lose their friendship. The incident has been going on for too long, he thinks.

 

 He breathes deep, grips tightly on his bag and sketchpad, and steps in the cafe.

“How ceremonious!” Ai comments.

“It worked!” Touya exclaims.

He wonders why he didn’t do it before.

 

 

On the next visits, his things don’t get spirited away like they used to. He doesn’t even remember this because he’s busy talking with Izumi about bookstores and artbooks, then with Souma about sculpting tools and fruit sculpting.

At last, Touya thinks, _I’m finally talking with Souma-kun!_

 

 

 

-,-`-,-‘-,’-,’{@

 

__

_It happened back when he was in second year. He transferred at an odd time—second trimester._

_An orange afternoon; he stayed in the classroom, alone, or so he thought._

_“How beautiful!”_

_A gentle voice. He turns to look at the person standing next to his desk._

_“Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt. It’s just that...”_

_He looks at where the person has been looking—at his set of kunai laid out on his desk._

_“The edges...those are real kunai aren’t they? They look great...”_

_‘They’re disposable.’ He wanted to say,‘...and they’re real’_

_“You must be taking good care of them. They’re beautiful.”_

_‘Beautiful? What does this commoner know?’_

_“They’re disposable.” He finally said_

_The ‘commoner’ smiled before he said “But you’re cleaning them with utmost care...even when they’re ‘disposable’...”_

_True enough, he had been cleaning his kunai until this person interrupted._

_“...These kunai...even when they’re ephermal, you’re doing your best to make them beautiful...And that act itself is truly amazing...”_

_He couldn’t believe what this person with the hair of the dying sun, and eyes of the birth of the night, has said._

_“Who are you?”_

_“Oh, I’m Touya...Yoroshiku ne, Kei-kun.”_

__

 

-,-`-,-‘-.-`-/{@

 

 

“Dress rehearsal in five, everyone!” 

“If only Kurou can keep that genial nature in directing...”

“It’s tough love, dear Sousuke. The plays he directed so far are all excellent because of that tough love.”

“Sometimes it’s nice to think like you do, Jean.”

 

Everyone helps another in checking their costumes. Touya, who’s tweaking some adjustments in Kei’s costume, notices something amiss with him.

“Kei-kun, are you alright?”

“Don’t bother with him, Tooouya....he’s just a _bush_. Why not help me with my cooostuuume instead.” Touya hears Ryuu’s sinister voice right next to his ear and feels long nails grazing his neck.

“J-just a second, Ryuu-san. I’ll just finish with Kei-kun’s first...” 

“Forget about it.”

“Eh?”

“It seems that the bush there is poisonous, Tooouyaa...As the villain, I cannot die by such means...”

Ryuu walks away from Touya and Kei. Even with his back turned, he can still feel Kei’s eyes cast a thousand daggers at him.

 

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

 

_****_

_**From: Hajime-kun** _

_**We’re a bit shorthanded. Can you please please please help?** _

 

It’s finally Cultural Festival day. Having finished his screentime, Touya gets Kurou’s approval to leave even though the play’s still going. Backstage, he talks to Souma.

“Souma-kun, ganbare.”

“Thanks. When we’re finished here we’ll be sure to visit you guys at the Cosplay cafe!” 

Touya smiles at the mention of the promise, replying “I’ll be waiting!”, and rushes to the other third years’ Cosplay Cafe. As soon as he reaches the room of class 3-A, Yuu drags him to a makeshift dressing room and gives him his costume.

“I’m wearing _this_?!”

“Hush! You’ll look cute on it! Come on, double time!”

Touya puts on the maid uniform hastily—the stockings, the dress, and the hairband—while Suzuki works on his makeup.

“Right, let’s go!”

Thankfully, they gave him flat doll shoes.

 

 _I wonder what Souma-kun will think of this..._ The thought makes him feel a heat on his face.

 

He works right away and delivers tray after tray of food and drinks. In the sea of customers, even Kyouya-sensei lends a hand. What keeps Touya going is the promise of an afternoon with Souma-kun.

 

“We’re running out of ketchup and eggs--!!” Makoto, who’s working on the kitchen, alarms his classmates. Suzuki and Yamato’s unlimited number of fans exceed Reiji’s calculation for their supplies.

“I’ll go. What else do we need?” returning to the counter, Touya volunteers. Everyone is busy and running errands is what he’s there for.

“Oh, please write it on paper...I’m quite forgetful about these things...”  

 

 

 

-‘-,-‘-`{@

 

__

_It was late in the evening. He waited for that person to finally call the day off and leave the cafe. His legs were trained to withstand crouching for hours, so this four to five hours is application._

_Having followed that person for more than two weeks, he knew about that person’s forgetful streak._

_‘He left his school bag._ Again. _’_

_From outside the cafe he breezed to enter the premises and got the forgotten bag. No one should notice, and no one did._

_He followed that person; tried to find a moment where he can just drop it somewhere for the owner to see and pick-up, when he noticed that someone, other than himself, was following him._

_‘This guy is more oblivious than I imagined.’ He thought, but then he saw a gleam from the stranger’s hand as its walk turned to a stride._

_Between the stranger and that person is a distance of five meters. Every pace less than a second; he threw the school bag with all his might to the direction ahead of Touya._

_“Wha--? Is that...My bag?!” Touya ran towards the place where it plopped, unknowingly distanced away from harm._

_The next day, there were news of the capture of a local maniac slasher, and Kei arrived in school with a freshly bandaged arm._

__

-`-,-`-`-,-`-,{@

 

 

Touya laments the fact that he forgot to change out of the maid outfit before he left for the nearest supermarket. People are looking at him, at the supermarket and at the streets—thankfully, his figure allowed the image of a sweet maid. The occasional greetings and comments from strangers makes Touya feel uneasy. He tries to avoid attention, and tricks himself to thinking that looking down on the way will do it. 

Waiting for the ‘walk’ light, he sees a child among the pedestrians. The little girl is alone, it seems, and she’s tying her shoelaces.

The pedestrians start to cross the lane when they see the ‘walk’ sign light on.  The girl gets dragged by the flow of people—Touya sees this and hurries to her rescue. 

It’s a very scary thing to get lost in a sea of adults; Touya looks here and there to find the girl. He doesn’t mind that his baggage is making things difficult and that he gets swayed when people bump to him.

“Ojou-chan!!” he cries when he finds the girl in the middle of the lane, stooping to her loose shoelaces.

“Let me help,”

Touya puts down the plastic bags and boxes of eggs he’s carrying and hurries to untie and re-tie the girl’s shoelaces.

“There! Now, hold onto my hand until we cross the lane, okay?”

The maid outfit works wonders; girls love everything pretty, so the girl follows the pretty Touya. 

He tries to balance himself while carrying all his stuff with his left arm and holding the little girl’s hand with the other. With effort they make it to the other end safely and in time as the ‘Walk’ sign dims and the street light goes green.

“Thank you, Maid-chan!”

“You’re welcome. Be more careful next time, okay?” Touya bends down just a little bit to pat the girl. Unfortunately, insensitive people have been passing by them, not minding even when one knocks Touya’s balance off and he falls flat on the white-striped asphalt. 

“Maid-chan--!!”

 

 

It all happens in three heartbeats.

 

 

 

 

-,-‘-,’-‘,’-‘-,-{{

 

“Good job, guys!”

The young men cheers as their Cosplay Cafe closes with every one customer happily served and satisfied. 

“You’re a big help, Touya! We couldn’t have made it through the peak hours without you! Thanks a lot!!”

“I’m glad to be of help, Hajime-kun.”

With the shop closed, the third years decide to spend the few hours enjoying other open booths before the closing program and bonfire dance starts. Touya chooses to stay in the Cosplay Cafe, saying he’s waiting for the other third years who were in the play.

“Okay; we’ll do clean-up after the fest tonight. I’m going to turn over our record of sales now to the Student Council Office and we’ll find out who’s got the best booth this year.” Touru announces before everyone can leave.

 

“Touya-kun...I’m going to check the bazaar, do you want to go with me?”

Touya’s thoughts are afloat and takes a while before he could process what Izumi said.

“Ah, sorry, Izumi-kun...I’m going to wait for Souma-kun and the others here—look, here they are!”

“Hello~~!!!!!”

Yuu greets their late guests: Ai, Wakatoshi, Hinata, and Sousuke. Touya immediately notices who’s missing, and their compliments about his look pass right through his ears. He asks them where Souma is.

“Mm, first, let me tell you that the stage play is a success!” Ai tells him, “The audience gave us a standing ovation—you should’ve seen Tokiya, he was amazing~!! Even Ryouta-san said it was great! And about Souma, he--”

“Ah, wait, Touya!” 

Makoto’s voice reverberates through the hallway, and he returns to the room, popping in their vision through the corridor’s window to the classroom.

 “There’re still some snacks there, so you guys help yourselves!” 

“Thanks, Makoto-kun.”

The basketball player returns a thumbs-up.

“About Souma-kun--?” Touya opts for Ai to continue

“Well, feed us hungry peasants first! I’m starving!”

“Hinata, you trees need chlorophyll.”

They laugh at Sousuke’s once in a lifetime jest.

“Feed us, oh, lovely maid!”

“Hai, hai, Hinata-kun...” 

Wakatoshi joins Izumi to the bazaar and leaves the group of eccentrics to Touya’s care. The fun he’s having right now dissolves the tension of the accident he miraculously avoided earlier.

 

 

 

-0-0-0-0—00-0-0-0-0-

__

_“You are still young, Kei. But you must always be ready—your heart, mind, your body and soul.”_

_“I understand, Grandfather.”_

_“Your heart must not falter, Kei...If possible, at all, do not harbour feelings of love.”_

_“...But why?”_

_“To love is another art. It is one that hinders the art of being a ninja...”_

_“But, Grandfather... this is my life. And this is my way of being a ninja. To dedicate my life to the one I love.”_

__

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

 

 

The clinic room’s sliding door rattles open. The whole room is shaded orange by the light of the setting sun coming through the wide windows. Haruka-sensei flips the light switch on, and Kyouya-sensei follows behind him.

“Do you want coffee, or—“

“Wait, Haruka-!” Kyouya-sensei halts Haruka-sensei, overtaking him with an extended arm.

“W-what’s wrong, Kyou?”

Kyouya-sensei doesn’t answer and reads the atmosphere in the room. After a thorough check using his senses, he lowers his guard.

“There was someone here.” He explains to his companion.

Haruka-sensei hurries to see if he has or had a patient; the beds are all empty.

“Must be a student who went here for a nap. This festival’s too loud it’s kind of getting to my nerves...now, let’s have that coffee...” Kyouya-sensei dismisses the case. The nurse just hopes for the better and prepares the coffee.

 

‘~,-~’’-~~,,-~’’-~

 

Touya is left alone in the classroom of the Cosplay cafe. Yuu and the others tried to persuade him to go and join in the mob at the grounds but he opted to stay in the relatively vacant room.

The main program is ongoing and he can hear the booming BGM and the blurry words of the hosts through the microphone. Leaning on the window with his cheek on his hand, he watches the students and guests gathering on the grounds. 

 It’s almost time for the closing ceremony and then the bonfire dance. He can see his classmates and friends scattered about—some even waves to him and invite him to come down and join the party. He replies to them with smiles and shakes his head softly. 

 

The orange light of the sunset is enough to illuminate the cafe room. The shadows cast by the window frames and the trees inspire a romantic painting within Touya. The contrasts and shades of the glowing auburn and soft black; realism and fantasy.

“I forgot where my things are...” he murmurs to himself. Any other day he would’ve panicked and ran searching for it by now, but today isn’t just _any other day_ ; he’s still waiting.

Cheek still on hand, he sighs as if on cue with the early evening breeze. 

 

“Touya?”

He starts when he heard his name and turns to the direction from where he heard the voice.

Standing there by the opened sliding door, clad in their school uniform—

“Souma-kun...?!”

 

Souma walks towards the window where Touya is leaning. The time seems to move slowly...softly...as he closes the distance between them. He leans on the edge and looks at the scenery ahead of them-- from the grounds, the thicket of trees and then houses, then to the vast orange sky and sun. He breathes it all in and exhales one of satisfaction.

Touya has been in a state of stupor just looking at Souma’s sideward face. He looks away when Souma turns to him.

“Sorry to make you wait.”

“N...N-n....It’s fine since...you’re...here now...” Touya slowly drops his face, feeling embarrassed by what he just said.

There’s an air of silence that’s neither awkward nor overriding, filled by the blurry noise from outside.

“A-ah! You didn’t get to visit the cafe when we were open, right?” Touya guides Souma to take a seat, “Hinata-kun and the others dropped by, and they ate all the excess pastries...But--” 

He disappears to the makeshift kitchen for a while and returns to the table with two jewelled egg-shaped containers with fumes emanating like it’s from the fridge.

“Good thing I borrowed Takahiro-san’s cooler. This sorbet is made by Reiji-san and Ren-kun, and was a big hit; I thought you might want to taste food with a scientific flare so...”

Touya puts the containers on the decorated desk in front of Souma and pulls a chair to sit across him. “...I hope you’ll like it.”

Souma stares at the sorbets in silence. One is color green and the other blue. Touya wonders if non-traditionally made food revolts his aesthetics. Souma hasn’t even touched the spoon all the while.

“Souma-kun...? Is something wrong?”

“Huh? Oh...” he seems to have snapped from a daze. “... _itadakimasu._ ”

There’s a mix of anticipation and worry inside Touya as he watch Souma eating the blue treat. Under the table, his hands are knotting atop his skirted lap.

After three spoons and no reaction, Touya’s anxiety eats the anticipation for a praise.

“Excuse me, Souma-kun—” 

“This is good.” There’s a faint smile on Souma’s lips when he looks at Touya.

“...eh?”

He starts to attack the other container, the one with the green sorbet

“...This is...has a better flavour, I guess. They did great.” 

Touya’s eyes widen in wonder. He throws out unnecessary thoughts.

 

“Uhm...”

He can’t believe he’s out of words when all his highschool life he’s been waiting for this moment to be with the one he admires. He thinks of a novel topic.

“You know, this maid outfit—”

“Your arm—”

They start and halt at the same time. Souma smiles and gestures a hand, “You go first.”

Touya bites his bottom lip; and despite the sunset glow, the boy across him notices the shade of red that blooms on his cheeks. He wants to take back mentioning the dress he’s wearing now.

“Ah...nothing...just...I thought you were going to say something about _this_...Yuu insisted for me to wear this, and we were in a time pinch so I went ahead and...Well...to be honest I can’t change out of it because I don’t know where my costume or my uniform is...Or my bag, for that matter...” 

_How awkward..._ Touya thinks to himself. He’s been spouting excuses and forgot what he actually wants to tell about the dress and how he wore it throughout his adventurous day. He lets out a short, bashful laugh and sees Souma snort through a smile. 

“You always forget things...I guess you left your bag and uniform at the auditorium, and your stage play costume should be there--” he points to the obviously makeshift dressing room

“R-right...Aheheh...” 

Souma leans down to get something under the table. When he returns to position, he shows Touya his bag and returns it to him. Touya is dumbfounded.

“You—how--?”

Souma shrugs and replies to the incomplete sentence.

“Ai...?”

He meant there a pun. Ai played the role of a fairy—one with _magic_.

Touya feels his face go hot and his mind go fuzzy. 

 

“N-Now, what were you going to say a while ago, Souma-kun?” he recovers a bit and leans a little forward with the anticipation that they can go volleying like this for a long time.

Souma’s face gives off a hint of seriousness

“Your...your arm. You were wounded?”

“Oh,” Touya raises his forearms, left and then right, “No, I’m not...why would you think--?”

Souma reaches his hand to Touya’s right forearm to see and feel for himself if there were so much as a scratch on the skin. Discovering none, he exhales a sigh of relief.

“But, Souma-kun,--“

_**“AAAAAND NOWWWW----!!!”** _

 

Both are stunned by the loud announcer on the microphone. It strikes them that the sun has set and everything is changing from orange to indigo.

“I didn’t notice. I’m going to turn on the lights--”

“No,” Souma holds Touya’s hand , “let it be. The bonfire’s starting.”

“Eh?” Touya carefully walks his way to the window and sees the people on the grounds gathering around the to-be-lit bonfire.

“You’re right! They’re lighting it! Come, see, Souma-kun!”

The glow of the bonfire traces Touya’s features: his smiling face towards Souma.

 

Souma walks slowly amidst the dark and reaches to the same window Touya’s viewing from. They see the students, guests, couples and their friends, dance to the music and around the bonfire. Everyone is looking satisfied and happy; even the timid Izumi is dancing in a circle with Yuu, Ai and Hinata, while Wakatoshi tries to save him from getting dizzy. Katsuo and Hajime are beating the drums vigorously as Suzuki and Yamato play some accompaniment to the playing BGM. On the more peaceful turf, Takeru and Hideki are drinking soda and beside them are Shun and Akira playing handhelds together. Touya gets inspired to dance when he sees Souh bow and invite Soujiro to dance.

“How great...Do you want to come down to see the bonfire closer?” Touya asks. It takes Souma a few moments before he replies in a low tone.

“No...I’d rather see it from here...with you.”

It’s the first time Touya heard that tone from Souma. It was distant, like there’s a hint of melancholy in him.

“....oh....”

There’s disappointment in the way Touya removes his hand from the window sill. It’s not like Souma doesn’t notice, but there’s a reason why he doesn’t want to move from that place and a reason why he can’t go to the grounds. 

“Would you like to dance...”

Touya turns to look beside him. It’s almost like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. Souma looks at him with that faint smile again, and eyes that seem tired but still smiling. 

“...with me, Touya...”

He seems unsure, but he extends his hand

“please...?”

The last word clenches at Touya’s heart. _Why did he have to plead?_

 

Touya hesitantly places his hand over Souma’s open palm.

_It’s cold..._

 Souma closes his fingers in to hold Touya’s hand. He looks at the pair of purple eyes...Touya tries not to look away, but he drops his gaze to the black floor. Souma closes in with his other hand softly on Touya’s lower back. He motions for Touya to place his other hand on his shoulder, and when they get to position, Souma starts to move his feet to a slow waltz. It’s not even in tune to the beats and rhythm outside. Touya looks at Souma to say that they’re dancing out of rhythm. 

“Souma-kun—” 

He gets lost when he sees Souma’s eyes—dark but filled with gentleness and warmth. Souma starts to hum a song that matches in tune to their movements. Touya’s ears take the rhythm in...and it seems to sync in with his breathing and the beat of his heart.

Gentle and slow...innocent and pure.

 

It’s a waltz that could go on forever. 

 

 

-~`-,~-~’’-~,-~{@

__

_He wakes up to an auburn shaded white ceiling, white walls and white curtains. From what he can see outside the open window, it’s already sunset and he can hear blurry BGM sounds and someone speaking through a microphone._

_‘Oh...it’s still the festival...’_

_He’s sitting flat on the floor at a corner of the room. He stirs and then feels a sharp pain on his left foot. He remembers his grandfather’s words that he still has a lot to learn and to improve on. It’s not like he was slacking on training either._

_“You’re a failure!” he can almost hear his grandfather yell at him; but he doesn’t want to give up._

_It all comes back to him like a flashback in a movie. He’s not too ambiguous, was he? It’s what he’s supposed to do, wasn’t it? Just that...he wasn’t strong enough._

_He remembers the time when he had to take odd jobs because his grandfather cast him off for three months—just after his decision to live his way of being a ninja. All the hardships just to follow his heart and to make his grandfather acknowledge his path..._

_He also remembers now one of his grandfather’s vital rules:_

_“Never use_ that _technique on your loved ones.”_

_“I don’t see why not?”_

_\--his grandfather placed a hand on top of his head and looked at him with sad, concerned eyes--_

_“Because, my dear Kei, it will only ruin_ you _in the end...”_

__

 

 

\--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0—

 

The height of festivities has already passed but the bonfire is still burning. With the lights in the room still off, Touya can only see Souma with what the fire’s glow can reach them. They’ve stopped their waltz and now they’re watching the starlit sky, elbows on the open window sill, leaning side-by-side to each other. The night winds should be getting to Touya, but his arm that’s in contact with Souma’s clothed arm feels a heat that seems more than enough to fight the cold.

“This is the best Cultural Festival I’ve ever had...” Touya shares a part of his thoughts

Souma shifts his weight to his right, pressing more to Touya’s side, and leans his head—making an ever lightly ‘thump’.

“...Thank you.” Souma says softly. He buries his forehead to Touya’s shoulder and repeats his thanks in a whisper.

 

 

 

-`-`--`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-

 

“Kei-kun?”

Touya meets Kei at the dark corridor, seemingly lost in his own thoughts as he was staring outside the windows. The artist runs to him, with waste bags in both hands. With his attention called, Kei turns to Touya.

“I didn’t see you at the Cosplay Cafe...I thought you would come!”

Instead of answering, Kei looks at the bags in Touya’s hands.

“Oh, I’m helping with clean up.” Touya lifts one bag for emphasis, “I’m throwing these and we’re gonna be done! Really, I thought you would be--”

Before Touya could finish what he’s saying, Kei snatches the bags from him and walks away, leaving him a few paces behind before he follows.

“K-Kei-kun, wait! You don’t need to--!”

 

He ought to take the trash bags but Kei won’t let go, so he let him be. With most of the classrooms and the corridor lights turned off, Kei is almost invisible with his dark clothes and silent steps; but the occasional moonlight from the windows lets Touya know that Kei is just ahead of him. 

They reach the school’s incinerator behind the main building. Getting their task done, Touya breaks the silent spell. 

“Thanks a lot, Kei-kun!”

Kei claps the dust off his own hands. He still does not reply, but Touya talks to him even.

“...This has been quite a day, ne? I think I want to paint these memories as soon as I get home.”

Even with his back turned, Kei can feel Touya’s smile through those words. 

“Hey, Touya!!” –someone calls from the nearby building. Touya turns to see who called his name.

“Katsuo-kun! You’re still here?”

“Yeah, I can’t have a good sleep unless I have a good swim, so we guys at the swim team were partying by the pool! Oh, don’t tell Kyouya-sensei, though...By the way, what’re you doing there by yourself?”

 “Huh? I’m with Kei-kun!”

“Kei?!” Katsuo squints his eyes, trying to see in the dark, “Oh!!! I didn’t see you there, man! Anyway, you guys going home yet? Let’s walk home together!”

Touya and Kei share an inquiring look. 

“Let’s go, Kei-kun?”

 

*~`*’~`*’~`*’*’~`*’~`*’~`*’~*

__

_One time, he was so tired from handing out flyers in his part time job, he wanted to nap so badly but it’s still three hours before the going-home bell._

_“Will you please read the next paragraph, Kei-kun? Uhh...where is Kei-kun?”_

_Heads turned here and there...everyone was sure he was there when the period started._

_“Wait a minute, Hideki-senpai...” Touya raised a hand. He walked towards the far right corner at the back of the room and examined the wall closely._

_After a decade’s worth of Hideki-senpai’s liturgy about sleeping in class and taking studies seriously, Kei left the faculty room and is met by Touya—who waited for him outside. He felt guilty for whatever happened to Kei and his ears._

_“How did you find me?” were Kei’s first words._

_“Hm?” Touya leaned his head sideward and directed his eyes upward, as if looking for the answer in the air._

_“...maybe because of the paint? The color of your disguising cloth is slightly different from the wall’s...”_

_It happened again. And again. And again._

_And every time he asked Touya “How come you always find me?”_

_Every time, Touya answered the same, and it always came with a gentle smile. “I just know.”_

__

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

They wave goodbye to Katsuo as he goes towards the train station. It’s now just the two of them. 

Touya has been telling Kei about his colourful day, save for the road incident and his moments with Souma. All the while, his companion has been silent. He notices, though, that Kei’s been lagging behind.

“Kei-kun...I’m sorry, am I boring you?” he stops by one of the few street lights and turns to look back at Kei. The other stops walking and gently shakes his drooping head.

“...Touya.”

It’s the first time in the night that Kei looks directly at Touya’s eyes.

His eyes are of a dark shade...with the tint of hidden sadness—Touya’s sense as an artist feels.

_A pair of gentle-looking eyes..._

“I’m sorry...”

Touya didn’t anticipate those words and is trying to figure what he should reply, because, _right now_ , he can feel that Kei is in pain.

With an index finger, Kei pulls the cloth that covers half of his face and kneels in front of Touya; his left knee and knuckle on the ground. A stance like a ninja would in front of his master.

“Kei-kun--?!”

The gestures make Touya unsure of what to do. He leans down to try and lift Kei, but halts when he hears him speak again.

“I’m really sorry, Touya.—” Kei’s head drops and he closes his eyes, bracing himself to make the words come out from his thoughts and his lips.

“S-stop...What are you sorry for, Kei-kun?” Touya finally asks. From his stand, he can see Kei’s brows knit in a somewhat gesture of pain.

 

__

_Among the other things that I want to say to you..._

 

Kei won’t budge even when Touya has leaned towards and touched his arms to lift him. Touya doesn’t understand, but he also doesn’t want Kei to bear all those pain alone. Reluctantly, he tries to give an answer that’ll at least convince Kei to move.

“It’s...It’s okay, Kei-kun. You know I can’t not forgive you...or anyone, I guess...but, can you please tell me why?”

 He waits for an answer. When it seems like Kei will not really lift his head up or give any clues, Touya wraps his arms around and clings on Kei’s neck—hoping that it will make even a slight difference in the situation. In his position, he can’t see Kei’s face...eyes wide and a very light blush blooms, but there’s a guilt shown by his meeting brows.

Touya feels a sigh escape from Kei. Thinking maybe the mood is better, he unlocks his arms and retreats to see Kei face-to-face. 

“Kei-kun...?” he meets him with his usual gentle smile.

Kei moves his head to lean on Touya’s shoulder—closing the distance again between them.

 

Touya’s unsure if the heat that’s creeping up his nape to his head is from the fact that they’re in a practically empty block and someone might witness the scene—or because Kei is unusually close to him, literally close that Kei’s hair is brushing his neck and he can almost feel Kei’s breath through his clothes.

 

 

_Among the thousands of words that I want you to hear...I pray..._

_...that at least these words will reach you..._

 

 

“Thank you.” Kei says in a low voice, as if he’s talking to Touya’s heart.

 

A pang of the familiar waves in the artist’s mind.

 

Kei draws back and sees Touya’s face. The white fluorescent from the street light does no justice to the colors of his eyes and his hair, but Kei knows of the beauty that the person in front of him holds.  

With the mask off, Touya sees Kei’s lips form a smile—a smile he’s seen for the very first time, but feels oddly familiar.

Before he could say anything, a gust of leaves blows and, in a blink of an eye, Kei disappears from his view—as if the wind has taken him away.

 

A few leaves gently fall from where Kei was kneeling. Left alone, Touya realizes something.

 

__

_It takes three heartbeats..._

__

 

~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~

 

“Touya!”

Three days after the school festival; the students were given a day off after the day of celebration. Those days left Touya hanging with questions relating to his raven haired classmate, but the person in question has been absent during the past two school days. The mysterious disappearance and unwarranted apology puts everything else in Touya’s mind in the clouds.

“Touya! Touya!! Toooooooooouya!!!”

He didn’t even see Souma come running towards him. Souma’s hollering called the attention of everyone at the corridor except the one whose name he’s calling.

“Hey, Touya!” he closes in—their faces inches away—before Touya can register what’s happening around him,

“Souma-kun, ohayou---uaaah!”

Souma directly wraps his arms around Touya’s waist, lifts him, and twirls him around the corridor. Now everyone is really looking, especially when Souma’s laughing his heart out in the process.

“S-Souma-kun?! Wh-what’re you doing?!”

“Ohayou, Touya!” he finally puts down his hostage, “You’re amazing! It worked!”

“What did?”

Souma puts his hands on the other’s shoulders, “Your cheer on me worked! Remember, you said ‘ganbare’ to me when we were backstage during the play? It worked!! Anyway, where were you? I haven’t seen you these past two days.”

“Uhm...I--...”

His thoughts were really floating. He doesn’t even remember what he did during those two days. Surely, he went to club activities, but he hasn’t as much as put a line on a fresh page in his sketchbook, and the canvas he’s been looking forward to painting on is as blank as him now.

“I...ah....T-That aside—I forgot to thank you for my bag, Souma-kun. Really, thanks for that.”

“Hm?”

Souma’s eyes signal Touya that he doesn’t quite remember that moment.

“My school bag...you returned it to me when we were at the Cosplay cafe, remember?”

Every second taking Souma to say anything makes Touya feel an indescribable feeling in his stomach and his head.

“Aah! Touya...

I’m so sorry—I...I didn’t get to see you at the Cosplay Cafe—bummer I didn’t get to see you, but I saw Ai’s picture of you in the maid uniform—you were so cute! But I went there, and you weren’t there, I think they said you were out to buy some stuff... I went with Ryouta-san, even. You see, that’s what I’s telling you—remember you cheered me backstage? It really helped, you know? That day I was thinking of asking out Ryouta-san, and I was bothered whether I should try or not, but then you said ‘ganbare’ like, like it’s a mantra or a sign or something, and I just went for it and, guess what? Ryouta-san said ‘yes’!!!”

Touya was frozen with what he’s heard. He’s trying to grasp what just happened and _what happened_.

“Sorry, was that too fast? Should I retell you again—”

“But Souma-kun, you were there... Y-you even ate the sorbet--!”

“Yes I did eat that out-of-this-world sorbet. Really, why did they even go through the trouble of making seven colors for a single flavour?”

“Eh? But you said the green one tasted better...?”

“Did I...?”

Souma brushes off Touya’s bangs and flats his palm on his forehead. Once again, his face leans in close; their foreheads are almost meeting.

“Hey, Touya...Are you alright?”

~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~

 

“Hm...I’m glad that you don’t have cold, Touya-kun. Maybe a power nap or a good night’s sleep will make you feel better.”

“Thank you, Haruka-sensei...”

“You’re welcome! You’re free to use the bed if you feel like taking a nap now.”

Three soft knocks calls Haruka-sensei’s attention to the door while Touya buttons up his uniform. Kyouya-sensei enters in time for the two sensei’s coffee break.

“Oh-” he sees that his friend has a patient so he stops by the door after entering, “It’s Touya-kun. What’s wrong?”

For someone to be at the clinic, something must’ve been wrong, so Kyouya-sensei’s words are not mean despite how they sound and how he looks. 

“It’s nothing, Kyouya-sensei...” Touya meekly answers. He lowers his head and tries to hurry closing his buttons, thinking that he’s being a nuisance to the two teachers’ meeting.

“Take it easy...” the dark-haired sensei walks towards and ruffles Touya’s hair, sensing what the student’s been thinking. Meanwhile, Haruka-sensei is preparing two cups of coffee and another cup for chamomile tea.

“This reminds me...Touya-kun, you’re in the same section with Kei, right?” Kyouya-sensei asks. The mention of the name pulls something inside Touya.

“Y-yes, Kyouya-sensei.”

“Well, I’m wondering if you could help him catch up with your lessons. Hideki-kun mentioned to me that Kei’s been absent twice and just today I received a call from his grandfather. It seems like he can’t come to school for some time, and at such a time when you guys are graduating. I sure don’t want to see his face here next school year.”

“It’s his way of saying ‘I don’t want you guys to repeat a year’.” Haruka-sensei whispers to Touya as he gives the cup of tea to the student.

“Ahrm...” Kyouya-sensei continues, “Anyway, will you help us help him, Touya-kun?” 

“Hai!” the answer comes even before Touya can digest what Kyouya-sensei said about Kei’s predicament. 

 

 

 

~’~,~’~,~’,~’~,~’~,~’~,’~’;~~,~’~,~’~,~{@

 

__

_His heart beat like that one swift moment...he remembered every bit of it, like a climactic scene in a movie with no start and no end--compressed to seconds._

_One._

_The first car swerves away from Touya’s splayed figure, but behind the first car comes a truck. At its speed, it didn’t seem like they saw that someone was in their way. It was too fast and all Touya could do was shut his eyes and curl in; he was sure he saw the blue sky for the last time._

_Two._

_Suddenly, there was contact._

_Warm touch. No, not touch. Grip. He felt something warm on the left side of his body, and something grip at his right shoulder and at the back of his knees. Touya could feel air pass through his hind, and remembered he’d be dying in a maid dress; a thousand thoughts in one moment, then he felt like he was up in the air—that maybe he’s a soul now that has left his physical body. He was too afraid to open his eyes, and his heart was beating too fast._

_“Maid-chan!!!”_

_There was a loud ‘thud’—like something blunt hit a metal plate--before he heard the voice of the little girl; worried about her, Touya dared to open his eyes._

_Three._

_He opened his eyes and saw, under the sunbeams, a dark silhouette. He couldn’t figure if it was a person—but he saw an orb resembling an eye._

_The most beautiful shade of black he’s seen._

_His racing heart seemed to beat not in fear...He wasn’t sure if it was the death god or an angel, because, strangely, it made him feel calm while his breath was being stolen away._

_The next moment he knew is that he’s sitting beside his groceries with the little girl crying out of relief. The truck passed, and other people walked by, almost like nothing happened at all._

_But he was sure something_ did  _happen, because otherwise his heart would not be beating crazy right then._

_Now, how come his heart is beating the same way when Kei disappeared on him?_

__

~’~,~’~,~’~,~’~,’~,’~,~’~,~’’~,~{@

 

“Souma-kun...”

“Yeah?”

“...I’m...” 

He breathes in and exhales a sigh of relief. His feelings were real, and what he feels right now is genuine.

“I’m really happy for you and Ryouta-san. Take care of him, ne?”

“...’course. Thanks, Touya.” Souma lets out a bashful snort. He’s blushing at the mere mention of his loved one’s name. “You’re going to Kei’s, right? If you walk straight this block, you’ll find their house.” They stop in the middle of a four-way pavement and Souma points to his right. 

“Ah...y-yes. Is that so? Thanks a lot, Souma-kun.”

“Welcome! Ah-ah! Before I forget--!”

“Wha--?”

Souma pulls Touya’s shoulder and whispers to his ear, like a sneaky elementary kid would to his friend

“Ga-n-ba-re! Heheh!”

 

 

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

 

As soon as Touya rang the doorbell and introduced himself as a classmate, the wooden gates to Kei’s residence open. Theirs is a large estate of traditional Japanese edifice and gardens. He is welcomed by two lines of black-clad men with cloths covering half of their faces. At the end of the long line, there stands an old man wearing a yukata, and a taller man who has long black hair, wearing a full white mask with red and black paintbrush strokes that form the face of a fox. At the back of Touya’s mind, he’s thinking if Soujiro has an older brother—because the masked man resembles his impression of the calligraphy artist.

“G-good afternoon, sir. Sorry to intrude.” Touya bows to the old man. The old man nods in return.

“A pleasant afternoon, young man. You’re Kei’s classmate, you say?”

“H-hai. I’m Touya, sir. Uhm...I’m here because....because...ah, that’s right...I’m here because Kei-kun’s been missing two days’ worth of lessons, so I thought maybe he needs some catching up.”

_‘Oh, god...Kei-kun’s grandfather must be thinking what kind of a blundering idiot I am...please...I hope not...’_

“’Touya’, right? I apologize for the trouble, but you can leave those notes to me. I’ll give them to my idiot grandson.”

“ _I-idio--?_ ah, but, sir...Can I please see Kei-kun?”

“Hm. I wonder...That boy is in ablution; it’d help him better if you don’t see him, young man.”

  _‘Ablution?’_

“That said, I’ll have to ask you to leave.” The old man tilts his head as he turns his back to Touya. Upon seeing the gesture, the masked man moves to hold off Touya from chasing after.

“Sir, please! I need to see Kei-kun! I have to talk to him, I have to see him!” Touya peers from the masked man’s arm; he’s gripping on the masked man’s sleeves like he’s holding for dear life. 

The old man stops from walking away. He turns to see his grandson’s classmate, desperately pleading him. When Touya sees the old man looking at him, he moves to make a deep bow, like a perfect inverted 90 degrees.

“Please, Kei-kun’s grandfather...let me see him...”

The lined-up men in black are all eyes at Touya. They can’t really do anything, even the masked man is standing still. The old man sighs and walks towards Touya, pats him by the shoulder, and makes the student straighten up.

“Young man, are you a _friend_ of Kei?”

“I...I’d like to think that I am, sir...I mean, to me, Kei-kun is a friend; but I don’t know if he feels the same...”

The old man takes a good look at Touya, which he didn’t do earlier. Now that he’s noticed, Touya’s features resemble Kei’s stories of the person with the hair of the sunset, and eyes of the night. 

“Touya...-kun?”

“Yes, sir?”

“I’ll let you see Kei. Really, this generation is full of stubborn kids.”

“S-sir!!”

“And, stop calling me ‘sir’. I’d rather you call me ‘Ojii-chan’, okay?” The old man’s strict demeanor softens—as if Touya’s ever gentle aura has seeped into him. Ojii-chan smiles, albeit it looks a bit sleazy thanks to his stiff facial muscles. 

“Hai, O-Ojii-chan!” Touya almost jumps with joy.

 

 

 

-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘’—‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-

__

_The ongoing scene was that of the fairy and the villain ashore with the village fisherman. The bush and the tree are offstage with the rest of the cast._

_“Souma-kun, ganbare.”_

_He heard Touya say. A part of him was cringing with jealousy, and another part of him wanted to jump out of the bush costume to go follow Touya._

_“I’ll be waiting!” he heard Touya again. It wasn’t meant for him, but he decided he can twist reality in his mind once in a while._

_After a standing ovation and the curtains closed, the actors went backstage tired but happy. He carefully changed out of the bush costume that Touya has mended for him. Checking around, he saw the artist’s school bag beside his neatly folded uniform._

_‘He always puts helping other people first...Forgetting his things like this...’_

_His thoughts were interrupted when he heard from behind his jovial schoolmates celebrate the successful play. He couldn’t help but overhear something else:_

_“Yes!!!! Ryouta-san said ‘Yes’!!!!” An explosion of youth. A young man in love._

_“We’ll be spending the whole day together!! Ah! I can’t wait!”_

_“Congrats, Souma!!”_

_‘What?’_

_He can’t get angry at that guy. There was no fault.. Just..._

_‘How can I protect Touya from this kind of pain...?’_

__

-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘’—‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-‘-

 

_‘This must be retribution...’_

Heaven’s or hell’s, he doesn’t know. All Kei knows is that he feels awful physically and emotionally. He had to put off his part time job and be absent at school, but the worst part is that he haven’t and can’t see Touya. 

In the wide Japanese-Romanesque furnished room, a large oriental-designed canopy bed has been installed, a better option than Kei using a futon with his injured foot. He’s still not used to seeing the red net-like curtains and the soft mattress when all his life he’s used to the simple futon he slept on as part of training.  

_‘Ablution...Grandfather said...’_

 

To be stronger. To be a better protector for Touya. For Touya...

 

_‘For Touya..._

_For Touya..._

_Touya..._

_Touya...’_

_‘This is not working.’_

 

He rises up from his bed, wincing as he feels his head spin from his fever, and the pain from his swelling left foot—the damage has reached his lower leg. Even the slightest touch of his yukata makes a sting crawl.

“Kei-sama, you mustn’t!” a black-clad guard halts him from moving. With less power than his usual, he swings the guard’s hold on him and continues to limp his way to the far off door.

“Kei-sama--!” Now two guards are holding him.

“Move.”

“But, Kei-sama, we can’t let you go unless Master tells us so. You should just go back to your reflection-”

“Move.”

Of course those men are trained under his grandfather; they’re almost as but not strong enough to stop Kei’s resolve. He swings them down to the floor despite his stinging injury.

“Sorry...” he says to the guards before he makes his way to his exit.

 

 

He makes his way to the hall and checks if someone is on guard. Thankfully none, he leans on the wall for support as he limps to reach who-knows-where.

 

_‘I can’t just sit there when I know Touya’s hurting...because of what I’ve done...’_

 

“Kei-kun!”

 

_‘I have to see Touya!’_

 

“Kei-kun!”

 

He thinks he must be daydreaming or hallucinating from the fever. Suddenly, he feels his legs go weak and he collapses to the wall.

 

“Kei-kun!!—”

He hears rushing footsteps against the wooden floor. A soft touch lands on his shoulder; when he turns, he sees the face in his mind like he’s really there in the moment.

“T...Touya...?”

 

Kei’s lips moving to the mention of his name makes Touya think like it’s the first time he’s seeing Kei without the mask in natural daylight... His features spin inspiring thoughts within Touya that it makes the artist flush.

 

“H...Hisashiburi, K-Kei-kun...Are you....how...uh,” he doesn’t know what to ask first because of Kei’s situation.

“You’re really stubborn, Kei.” 

From behind Touya, Kei’s grandfather walks in his vision before he sees all turn to black.

 

 

A tea room has been arranged for the visitor, but Touya opted to stay by Kei’s bedside. The resident family doctor tended to Kei and all the while Touya watched as his friend battle with pain. He helped in any way he can, providing assistance to the doctor even when there’re two nurses to his aid. They gave Kei a sponge bath and changed his clothes while he was asleep; Touya did not stare, but his face has been red during the process. 

The sun has set, but Touya is still there—holding Kei’s hand, waiting for him to wake up.

 

 

 

 

He feels a soft caress on his hair...soothing. 

His eyes slightly open... when he sees the missing hand from his hold, he stirs and lifts his cheek from the sheets and darts his eyes to the headboard.

 “Kei...-kun?”

The hand stops moving. Kei’s eyes that has been staring at him moves to stare at the white sheets.

“You’re awake?”

“What are you doing here?” 

Touya sits straight. It’s finally his chance to ask Kei about the things he’s been puzzled with.

“I...I was asked by Kyouya-sensei to bring you some notes from the lessons you missed. Uhm... _Are_...?”

Touya pats himself in different parts.

“Wh—what the...Wh...where is my bag...?”

Kei sighs... _‘He forgot his things again...’_

“Are you sure you had it with you when you came here?”

“Huh?” 

Now that Touya remembers, he didn’t have anything with him when he first entered the wooden gates. The thought that he mentioned the notes to Kei’s grandfather –his excuse for seeing Kei—makes him red with embarrassment.

“Ah...I...”

“Ugh...I really just can’t leave you...” Kei mutters to himself. His knuckle meets his forehead.

“Hm? W-what did you say?”

“You must’ve left it at the classroom.”

Touya’s eyes widen. Something pulls the strings inside him.

“Well...” Kei continues, “since you’re not bringing any notes, you may now leave. I will tell Kyouya-sensei not to send anyone for my sake; I will be fine on my own.”

“...Why?”

“I don’t need it.”

“Why?” There’s a tinge of hurt when Touya asked. Kei still won’t look at him.

“Because I don’t. Now--”

“No, why?” 

Touya’s breaking voice makes Kei shoot his eyes at him. He sees Touya’s eyes shining—in a sense that there are tears meaning to fall. Kei stirs a bit from his sitting position, but tries with all his will to not touch Touya.

“Kei-kun, you won’t tell me anything.”

 

A teardrop falls

 

“...even when you’re like this...”

 

And another

 

“...even that time when you said ‘sorry’...but I don’t know why or for what you said those words...”

 

It becomes a stream. 

 

Kei doesn’t know what to say to pacify the crying Touya. He’s always been one for action instead of words so what he does is move- even when his leg is killing him- towards the big baby, and hug him.

“S-stop crying...”

Touya still won’t stop his sniffing, and he actually wails his heart out. The display flusters Kei even more.

“I...I get it, I’ll answer your questions; but first, please stop crying—”

“Really? Anything I ask?” Touya replies in between sniffs

“Y-yeah, so please...uh...”

Kei realizes that he’s been hugging Touya, and unlocks his arms at once. He moves away at a safe distance—not too far, not too close. Touya’s crying disposition disappears almost instantly after a few sniffs when Kei has agreed to tell him everything.

 

“First—did you visit the Cosplay cafe during the Cultural Festival?” 

“No.”

“Where did you go after the stage play?”

“I...went to my part time job, handing out ads and flyers.”

“Hmm?” Touya doesn’t seem convinced

“I had...nothing else to do in the festival, anyway.”

“Is that so? Too bad, you didn’t get to eat the cafe’s best seller...”

Kei’s brows slightly twitch, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Touya.

“Next, why did you ask if I was wounded or not?”

Kei tries to remember when and what did he ask.

“You checked my right arm, remember? Why did you ask if I was hurt?”

“I...I heard you had...an accident.” Kei’s low voice even becomes lower. 

“Heard? From whom?”

“...Hinata.”

The inquiry makes Kei feel uneasy. Every answer he gives makes him feel the weight in his heart heavier. For Touya’s part, he’s making out the bigger picture with every piece of the puzzle.

“You know, I’ve yet to thank you for returning my bag...during the festival, too.”

“...That...wasn’t me.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t deserve your gratitude.” Kei looks away from Touya, “That wasn’t me.”

_Yes...at that time..._

“Souma...he’s the one who returned it to you, right?”

 

There’s a moment of silence before Touya cups Kei’s face softly to make their eyes meet. He stares at the beautiful dark color of Kei’s eyes. 

“No...It was you, Kei-kun...”

_That moment when I felt like I was flying..._

_And that moment when I danced to the hummed waltz..._

_All those times...these eyes do not lie..._

_It was you, right?_

 

“Thank you.”

Kei gets lost as Touya continues to look at him in the eye. He tries to remember, rethink where he have slipped the facts he’s been hiding. He’s just not ready to own it and face the unfavourable consequences, especially the threat of hurting Touya even more.

“But...how...?”

“I just know...” Touya says with a smile, “Well, I never told anyone about my near-death experience, even Hinata-kun! Also, there’s no one else who probably knows that it was _Souma-kun_ who returned my bag to me during that time...”

 

If Kei is blushing at the moment, it’s because of embarrassment in trying to hide the obvious from Touya.

 

“I’m...really sorry...”

“N-n...Don’t be, Kei-kun...I told you, right? That it was the best Cultural Festival I ever had...Though,” Touya darts his eyes to the poor left foot of Kei.

“I really don’t want to be the cause of your pain again...I’m sorry, Kei-kun...I’d like to make it up with you...”

“There’s no need.”

“But, why?! There you go again, pushing me off! Don’t you think of me as a friend, Kei-kun?”

“No.”

The abrupt answer puts a dark cloud over Touya. He feels a crawling pain in his chest.

“Y-you...don’t...?”

All the talking is tiring Kei. He’s never really a vocal person. There are already tears on the verge of falling from Touya’s eyes when he goes in action to show what he means.

“Really...” Kei sighs. Then he stealthily traps Touya’s body, and firmly kisses him on the lips. The sudden action makes a tingling current all over Touya that makes him stunned and unable to so much as lift a finger. 

_‘K-Kei-kun is---is k-kissing me?!’_

The thought takes some seconds to register. His heart makes the familiar rhythm of beats like it did when he saw the black angel, and the time when he danced the waltz. His lips were partly open when Kei landed his; as if their lips are puzzle pieces fitted for each other. 

_‘His lips are dry...oh!’_

Kei knows for himself, but there’s nothing that a lick can’t moisten. 

“Mmhh...” Touya guiltily reacts to the feel of Kei’s tongue.

Kei’s still not satisfied, but he needs to let Touya get some air and let his blood flow to his body and not just to his head. If there’s a level of shades to Touya’s blushes, this one is deep crimson—the highest, so far.

“K-Kei-kun—that was...” he says through his huffs.

“I’m not one for talking so... I hope that comes across.”

“W...what do you--?”

“’I don’t think of you as a friend, because I want us to be something more.’”

Kei doesn’t have a wide knowledge on colors, so he will name this new shade as ‘burning red’. Touya’s already having a hard time processing things and breathing and looking at Kei after their kiss.

“Y-You said it like you just said some practical knowledge...—gyah!” Kei’s grip on Touya just tightened.

“How do you want me to say it to you?” he leans his face to Touya’s, like he’s eager for another kiss.

“K-Kei-sama.” 

 

A third voice startles the two. The voice is coming from the other side of the room’s door.

“Sorry to intrude, but it’s time for your medicine.”

Touya thinks the voice is from the man with the white mask from earlier. Hearing the word ‘medicine’, he squirms his way out of Kei’s hold. The latter just sighs in defeat, knowing Touya will choose for him to get his treatment before his _treat_.

 “And, Kei-sama...please remember...under your grandfather’s orders, you’re..still in ablution.” Still from beyond closed doors, the third voice says.

“AND UNDERAGE!”—the voice of the old man adds in. The two youngsters are internally cringing, knowing that there were eavesdroppers to all that just happened. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

It’s a sunny day in April, with the Sakura trees getting ready to bloom and scatter their petals. Touya goes to bring Kei some cakes from the RushHour cafe. As usual, he’s greeted by the lines of black-clad men, but now, Ojii-chan comes running to greet him right at the gateway.

Once in the tea room, he serves the old man his share; he also gives a slice to the man with the white mask—now he knows his name—Kujou-san.

“This is great, Touya-kun! I can tell that the person who made these wonderful cakes is happy with their craft.”

“Hai, Ojii-chan. He’s a friend from high-school, his name is Souma. Those are special because it’s different from what they usually sell at their shop. Ah, and this coffee is blended by his partner, Ryouta-san. They really make a great combination, right?”

“Yes...I can taste their overflowing love for their art...Right, Kujou-kun?”

“Hai.” 

“Anyway, where is that idiot grandson of mine? What is he doing, making dear Touya-kun wait?”

“He’s finishing with today’s lessons, sir.” The masked man answers

“Hm...seems he’s really into teaching the next generation of our clan...I’m glad he’s become a man worthy to be my successor. Please be patient with him, Touya-kun.”

“I will, Ojii-chan...Now, do you want another slice?”

 

 

 

 

“Good bye, Kei-sensei!!”

The little boys and girls run past Touya as they wave goodbye to their instructor. The dojo’s students are lively as usual, contrary to how Touya first knew the silent Kei.

“Ah! Hello, Touya-san! Good bye!” A running boy stops by to greet him, and continues to run when he’s said his greetings.

“Rui-kun, please be careful on your way home!” he says to the student. He continues his way to the dojo when he sees Kei standing by the wooden gates, watching over his leaving students—Touya thinks.

“Thanks for your hard work, Kei-kun. I brought some snacks.”

“Un.” Kei just nods. Touya’s used to this part of Kei, even back in their high school days.

 

They set their tea by the open ledge of the dojo that faces the zen-like garden. Touya carefully unpacks the desserts and place them one by one on a big round plate. 

“Ojii-chan’s looking for you a while ago...”

“Hm? Why?”

“He’s just missing his dear grandson; can’t that be a reason?” Touya’s smile becomes wider when he teases Kei like a cute child.

“I don’t think so. I’m sure he’s happy being alone with you. I think you remind him of Grandmother.” Kei says while he watches Touya do the plating. 

“W-What? T-that’s not true! Anyway, how did it go with the practical exam?” Touya flushes at the thought, thinking of it as somewhat a compliment. Kei just listens through; when he sees the pink slice screaming of strawberry, he takes it delicately and places it on one of the small plates and places it on Touya’s side.

“Better than their first. Rui improved a lot, especially since you had that talk with him. He gained confidence in himself.”

 “I-is that so...? Hm...?” Touya notices the slice of strawberry cake Kei placed on his side. It reminds him of the mysterious events he experienced at RushHour cafe years ago. It all comes back to his mind: the surprises and the unanswered mysteries to date. It also makes him think...

“You know, Kei-kun...”

“Un?”

“I’m just wondering...how did you know I love strawberry sweets when I never really told you about it?”

Kei jolts after hearing the question. There are still things he’s yet to tell Touya, but, surely, someday he’ll be able to tell him without getting embarrassed in the process.

“...I just know.”

Touya giggles upon hearing Kei’s shy answer combined with blushing cheeks. 

“ _I-Itadakimasu_...” he drops the topic by starting to eat.

“That reminds me...you never told me you worked part time at RushHour! Ryouta-san mentioned it to me, but he didn’t tell anything more. When was that, Kei-kun?”

“Touya-san!!!”

They look at the direction of the entrance to see a little girl run towards them. She almost flops herself on Touya’s lap, but regains her balance just before them.

“Karen-chan, what’s up?” Touya asks

“I forgot to give you this! Shion-chan and I made it!”

She presents to them a rolled light brown paper. Kei looks at Touya, meaning for him to open it. 

“We hope you like it!!” the girl bounces.

In the scroll is a drawing made with crayons—one is a person with wavy orange hair topped with a red beret and two hairclips on its bangs on the right side, its eyes are sparkly and has a red inverted triangle for a mouth, with sparkles around the face; at the other half of the paper is a vigorously-stroked green bush with a seemingly person with black spiky hair, two slanting dots for droopy eyes and a red ‘U’ for a smiling mouth. There are scattered texts and wiggly letters labelling each as ‘Touya-san’ and ‘Kei-sensei’.

“Sensei told us about how he followed you around during his younger days! He said it was tough, but he said it’s all worth it if it’s for the person we love...He said not once did you ever notice him when he hid his presence, especially in the bushes, so we thought we’d give a name to his secret technique!” 

Kei just keeps a hand on his lower face, trying to hide the blush and his smile from two witnesses. He’s actually torn between amused and vexed with his tattletale students. Beside him, Touya’s been agape since seeing the drawings, and he stirs as he listen to the tale behind it—more so because it’s a sort of revelation.

“S-so, what do you call it?” Touya finally speaks.

“Hai! It’s the ‘Art of Loving’—technique!” 

“Has a nice ring to it.” Kei says while he pats the girl lightly on her hair.

“Thank you very much, Karen-chan...” Touya stares at the girl dearly.

Kei puts a slice of chocolate cake on another plate and gives it to his student as thanks for the drawing.

“We should give Shion-chan hers next time.” Touya smiles sweetly towards Kei.

“...that was supposed to be a secret...” Kei sulks as he takes a forkful of his macha cake.

 Touya invites the girl to join them and have tea. He’s gonna make her tell all the stories that Kei share to them in class. As he pours on a cup, a Sakura petal falls gently and makes soft ripples on the tea.

“’The Art of Loving’, huh...? I think I’d want to paint that...”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think :)
> 
> I'd really love to see Touya and Souma sit together, but that chance seems to elude me...I hope to read uke Touya but...well...seems even I can't really please myself..but I'm happy with how this story turned out. Tell me if you spot loopholes though ^^;;
> 
>  
> 
> Also, for image reference, Kujou looks like the humanized Senbonzakura (Bleach's Byakuya's sword)...he's like a masked Soujiro-senpai with longer hair...I'd like to see Soujiro-senpai as a cute little bro if he has an older brother...but that may be for another game lol...
> 
>  
> 
> The song Caged Bird from D.N.Angel brought out my feels for Kei, and I hope you felt it with how I wrote it... ^^;;
> 
> Thanks for reading~♥


End file.
